No One in Need

Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with single mind they had offered freely to the LORD.
1 Chronicles 29:9

As the community continued to grow in Bangalore, we felt that, as part of the year of mercy, the Lord was asking us to move out of our comfort zones and serve the poor, not just by providing for their material needs but also by sharing Jesus with them.

There were plenty of community members who in their own capacity were serving the poor. However, we felt the need to do so as a community and thus was born this concept of ‘No one in need‘ which is headed by my husband Gideon and I under the leadership of our cluster servant.

The first program of this initiative happened in October 2015 where we roamed the streets of Bangalore and provided blankets to the homeless. We were able to reach out to around 200 homeless individuals. We did it late night so that we would precisely know whom to reach out to. We did not want to make any noise about it and hence instructed everyone not to disturb them. Of course some homeless who were awake were very grateful to have a sheet on a cold night while others just took the sheet and covered themselves. It was indeed wonderful to experience the joy of giving, by going a little out of our comfort zones.

We have planned to have such outreaches every 3-4 months. The next outreach is scheduled for February where we plan to visit an orphanage, spend a day with the kids and organise a cultural program along with some snacks. We will also try to supply a few material needs of the orphanage and have already begun collecting clothes, toys and other such items that the kids can use.

The joy that we felt on reaching out to these homeless people was unimaginable. We are all most excited and looking forward to the next visit in February. As Sir Winston Churchill said,